and a beautiful night for a ball game. next with lester holt. simpson granted parole. another courtroom drama playing out before a live nationwide audience. how soon he could be free and what's next. john mccain's cancer fight. the beloved senate maverick and american hero diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. tonight the outpouring and the prognosis for the battle ahead. second thoughts. president trump's stinging attack on his own attorney general, saying he wouldn't have picked jeff sessions if he knew sessions would recuse himself from the russia investigation. texting scam. an fbi warning. a new trick being deployed by cyber criminals stealing thousands of dollars with just one message to your smartphone. and high anxiety. a spectacular new view on one of the wildest

rides in the world. "nightly news" begins right now. >> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening to our viewers in the west and thank you for being here. o.j. simpson, whose life of fame turned to a life of infamy after his arrest and acquittal in the brutal murders of his wife and her friend, faced judgment on live television once again today. this time as the nevada parole board heard his plea and granted him parole on his 2008 armed robbery conviction. after almost nine years in prison, simpson went from annoyed to remorseful in today's hearing, as he made his case for freedom. the board agreeing not to consider his controversial 1995 acquittal in the trial of the century, something the court of public opinion has not so easily put aside. nbc's joe fryer is in nevada tonight with the latest.

>> mr. simpson, i do vote to grant parole when eligible. and that will conclude this hearing. >> thank you. >> reporter: relief washed over o.j. simpson as a nevada parole board voted in dramatic fashion to set him free. the unanimous decision reached after the former football star made his case. >> i've done my time. you know, i've done it as well and as respectfully as i think anybody can. >> reporter: at times combative. >> it was my property. i wasn't there to steal from anybody. i will never, ever pull a weapon on anybody. >> reporter: at times contrite. >> nine years away from your family is just -- just not worth it. >> reporter: appearing in front of cameras for the first time in four years, simpson looked thinner. >> i've basically have spent a conflict-free life. >> reporter: he has served as commissioner of the prison softball league, started a baptist church service and took classes like alternative to violence. >> it gave me so many tools how to use it to, you know, try to walk these guys through, you know, not

throwing the punches at one another. >> reporter: supporters at the hearing included his sister, shirley baker, and daughter, arnelle, who testified. >> we just want him to come home so that we can move forward for us quietly, but to move forward. >> reporter: simpson is serving time for the armed robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers. today one of the victims, bruce fromong, testified that simpson should be released. >> this is a good man. he made a mistake. >> reporter: even offering to pick him up from prison. >> juice, i'll be here tomorrow for you. i mean that, buddy. >> reporter: friend tom scotto met with simpson after the hearing. >> came out yelling, "i'm going home. i'm coming home." yeah. coming home. hugged us all. we'll be making plans. >> reporter: it's the latest legal twist for simpson who in the '90s was accused and acquitted of murdering his ex-wife, nicole brown, and her friend, ron goldman, but in a civil trial he was found liable for the killings.

the parole board says those cases were mentioned in many of the opposition letters it received from the public. >> these items will not be considered in this case. >> reporter: christopher darden author of the book "in contompt" was one of the prosecutors in simpson's murder trial. >> he is the same o.j. i saw in 1994. he's still a narcissist. he's still a very manipulative person. and he is still inclined to blame other people for his conduct. >> reporter: but a state assessment deemed simpson a low risk to reoffend, paving the way for his release. >> there's nothing normal about o.j. simpson, but this was a normal decision, and that's a good thing for the justice system. >> reporter: the earliest simpson can be released is october 1st, but no specific date has been set yet. he says he'd like to live in florida, but there's a process to make that happen, and florida must agree to it. if simpson violates the conditions of his release at any time, he'll go right back to prison here in nevada. lester? >> joe fryer in nevada tonight, joe, thanks very much. let's drill down

now on what freedom looks like in this case. the question a lot of people asking, what will simpson do when he's set free for the second time? will he return to the public eye and try to make money even as he owes millions? nbc's cynthia mcfadden has more on that for us. >> reporter: there's a difference between fame and infamy. o.j. simpson's once famous name became an infamous one in 1995 when he was acquitted of two brutal murders. much has changed since those acquittals seen at the time as a referendum on race. back then only 20% of african-americans believed he had gotten away with murder. today more than 50% do. whites still overwhelmingly believe he was guilty, well over 90%. the world has changed in other ways, too. social media has exploded. so nearly every public move he makes will be recorded. 32% of americans weren't even alive when he was acquitted 23 years ago, but even

among young americans the fascination lingers. >> i've done my time. >> reporter: two highly rated and highly acclaimed television series were broadcast last year about him. in neither does he come off very well. he could have a career hawking autographs and selfies if he wants, selling what many might call his bad name. >> he can make thousands upon thousands of dollars. anybody walk up with their camera, he can get $30 each all day long. >> he has one of the most famous recognizable names he shares with two others. one is the fellow sitting in the kremlin and the other one sitting in the white house. >> reporter: and if simpson does make money, cook will be right at his heels to collect it on behalf of the goldman family who he still owes millions. not everyone thinks it's a good idea for simpson to re-enter public life, including alan dershowitz, one of his former lawyers. should o.j. simpson sign autographs, write a book, participate in

movie deals? >> he's going to be tempted, but he shouldn't do it. o.j., if you're listening to me, become private. don't be in the public light. they don't want to see your face. live in quiet obscurity. >> reporter: but quiet obscurity is hard to imagine. cynthia mcfadden, nbc news, new york. all right. we want to turn now to the huge outpouring of support tonight for arizona senator john mccain. the senate maverick and american hero now in the fight of his life after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. nbc's peter alexander has the latest reaction. >> reporter: tonight on capitol hill, the senate's maverick sorely missed. >> i can't think of anything i've done since 1999 politically in many ways personally that was worth doing without john. >> reporter: from his home in phoenix, john mccain today vowing a quick return, tweeting, "unfortunately for my sparring partners in congress, i'll be back

soon." arizona's junior senator jeff flake. what does senator mccain's friendship mean to you? >> i came here as an intern in the senate in 1987, and john mccain was here then. that's all i know is john mccain in the senate. >> reporter: the 80-year-old tonight in good spirits, just days after doctors discovered a cancerous tumor, following surgery to remove a blood clot above his eye last week. the diagnosis, an aggressive form of cancer, glioblastoma, the same disease that afflicted mccain's longtime friend and colleague ted kennedy as well as vice president biden's son beau. prayers from both parties pouring in. his 2008 rival, barack obama tweeting, "cancer doesn't know what it's up against. give it hell, john." president trump calling mccain telling him he's a fighter. the former navy fighter pilot surviving five and a half years as a p.o.w. in vietnam, and more than once beating skin cancer. his wife cindy posting this wedding photo overnight praising her husband as her hero and this tribute from

daughter megan. "cancer may afflict him in many ways, but it will not make him surrender. nothing ever has." mccain's absence complicating the planned vote to repeal and replace obamacare with one planned vote already delayed. >> john mccain is someone we don't just want back in the senate. he's someone we desperately need in this hour in our politics. someone who is respected across the political divide and someone with a known and proven record as a patriot. >> reporter: not content to just sit home and rest, senator mccain gave his political partner lindsey graham a message for his senate colleagues, get back to work. and he quickly followed his own advice shooting off a statement challenging the president's policies in syria and afghanistan. lester? >> peter alexander at the capitol tonight. thanks, peter. and for more on the prognosis for this type of brain tumor, we turn to nbc news medical correspondent dr. john torres. first of all, lay out why this is such a difficult cancer to treat. >> this is a very aggressive cancer that spreads easily throughout the brain. think of it like an octopus with tentacles. you'll see in an animation here, those tentacles are

microscopic cells that when a surgeon removes a tumor, they often leave those behind. even a couple of those cells are left behind, the tumor can regrow and spread to other parts of the brain. that's why we use chemotherapy and radiation treatment to try and kill all the cells. >> those are the typical treatments, how will that go with a man of his age? >> prognosis for someone who starts treatment is 14 months on the average. the older someone is, the less likely that is to happen. like you said, chemotherapy and radiation are the conventional treatments. there are experimental treatments, immunotherapy, vaccination therapy, even electrical stimulation, but they don't always work. john mccain is a fighter but he does have an uphill battle going on here. >> thanks, john, very much. appreciate it. turning from the fallout of the stinging attack from the president of the united states on his own attorney general. president trump telling "the new york times" he wouldn't have picked jeff sessions if he knew sessions was going to recuse himself from the russia investigation. our chief white house correspondent hallie jackson has more on the shock waves being felt across washington. >> we in this department of justice -- >> reporter: tonight

the attorney general's insisting he's not going anywhere. >> we love this job. we love this department. and i plan to continue to do so as long as that is appropriate. >> reporter: that's despite the president's disappointment, the white house says, that jeff sessions stepped aside from anything related to the russia investigation. president trump stopping short of asking sessions to step down, but the president's aides arguing he still has confidence in his ag. does that mean he does not want him to resign? >> i think you know this president well enough to know that if he wanted somebody to take an action, he would make that quite clear. >> you do a fantastic job. >> reporter: what is clear is that a president who rarely admits regret is now acknowledging at least one -- making public what he's been privately stewing about for weeks. >> sessions should have never recused himself. and if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job and i would have picked somebody else. >> as a matter of transparency, you want to have these investigations carried

out by someone who is truly independent. >> reporter: on immigration, sanctuary cities and sentencing guidelines, the two have been almost inseparable on policy, but personally it's a startling split in what was once a rock-solid relationship with sessions the first senator to back the president's campaign. and tonight it's not just the ag but special counsel robert mueller in the spotlight, too. >> if mueller was looking at your finances and your family's finances unrelated to russia. is that a red light? >> would that be a breach of what his actual charge is? >> i would say yeah, i would say yes. >> reporter: and that warning to the special counsel could sound to some like a threat with the white house today not explicitly disputing that characterization only saying that the president wants mueller to stay inside the scope of the russia investigation. lester? >> hallie jackson at the white house, thank you. the dog days of summer have arrived with nearly 80 million people today under heat advisories or excessive heat warnings in the northeast, midwest, plains and south. many enduring a heat

index over 100 degrees. heat also a big factor in the west where wildfire has exploded to over 70,000 acres near yosemite national park. the flames have destroyed dozens of structures and forced thousands to evacuate. still ahead as we continue here tonight, texting scam warning. what you need to know about the growing way thieves are targeting you through your mobile phone. also, take a thrilling ride through the sky on the newest attraction high above one of the world's great cities.

back now with an alert about a growing cyberscam tactic. the fbi says americans lost $1.3 billion to cybercrime last year alone. criminals have known we've grown suspicious of emails so now they're increasingly targeting victims with scams that go straight to your text messages. nbc news business correspondent jo ling kent explains what you should watch out for. >> reporter: as americans get smarter about robocall fraud and phony e-mails, cybercriminals are stepping up their game to get your personal information. instead of phishing emails, they're sending sms texts to your mobile phone in an increasingly popular scam called smishing. >> you'll take your phone out.

you'll say oh, no. and you'll actively respond to it. and then they've got you. >> reporter: the better business bureau says consumers report thousands of dollars lost from just one text. these messages try to grab your attention alleging your bank account has been compromised like this one claiming to show a suspicious withdrawal from an atm. smishing messages usually include a link or phone number urging you to click or call. if you do, hackers could steal your personal information or infect your phone with malware. >> you as a consumer are looking at the website on a very tiny screen as well as the notification. that makes it harder to notice the cues that we usually use to tell apart a fraudulent site from a real one. >> reporter: there's no foolproof way to block smishing messages but security specialists recommend do not reply, call back or click on the link. instead, look up your bank and call a verified number. always delete suspicious texts and never share your phone number on social media. protecting yourself as hackers deploy new tactics to win your

trust. jo ling kent, nbc news, los angeles. there's still more to tell you about on this evening. on the anniversary of the apollo 11 landing, one of neil armstrong's souvenirs from the moon sells for an astronomical price.

48 years ago tonight, the country watched in amazement as america landed the first men on the moon. and today a bag neil armstrong used to collect moon dust on that apollo 11 mission sold at auction for a stellar price. back in 2015 a government mix-up allowed a chicago woman to buy this bag for about $1,000. she battled nasa to keep the bag and won, and get this, she sold it today for a whopping $1.8 million. now to a spectacular view high above the city of london. a wild new ride giving

thrillseekers all they can handle. so of course, we needed someone to try it out. and our intrepid correspondent keir simmons volunteered. >> reporter: for the past few difficult months, london has been a city in need of a lift, but today things are looking up. literally. with the highest, fastest city zip line in the world. >> just over your shoulder. >> reporter: i went to try it out. >> you're going to zip down at about 33 miles per hour. >> reporter: back in 2012, the then-mayor boris johnson demonstrated how not to do it. >> get me a rope, okay? >> reporter: since then, paris, vegas and even dubai have been seen from a high wire. ten stories up. and there's no elevator. once at the top, the view is spectacular. from the houses of parliament to the london eye. and these 11 and 14-year-olds from seattle had already been down. what's your advice? >> just don't think about it. >> reporter: don't think about it? >> no. that's not what she mean. don't think about like falling. >> reporter: my turn now. and their advice

wasn't helping. my breath is a little shorter. my heart is beating. i'm trying very hard not to look down. you have to walk down sky-high steps. it felt like walking the plank. >> go! >> oh! wow. woo-hoo! it is really risky. it's open until october. a chance to see london in a new way. keir simmons, nbc news, london. >> keir simmons with the quote of the day, "woo-hoo!" when we come back, from football stardom to the bronco chase to today's newest chapter in this saga, inside america's enduring fascination with o.j. simpson. ===jess vo===

but will the bay area be ready if a major fire breaks out here? ===raj vo=== also - a trip to the stars. how you can explore every inch of the international space station. ===next close=== next. all across the country today many americans, once again, stopped whatever they were doing to get to the nearest tv screen and witness the latest chapter in the saga of o.j. simpson. for decades he has captivated and confounded, first as a football star, then as

a murder suspect, and now an inmate on the verge of freedom. nbc's anne thompson with more on america's long-lasting obsession with o.j. >> reporter: o.j. simpson has always been must-see tv. for a half century, the world has watched him run. a dazzling combination of power, speed and footwork in college and professional football. pitching us rental cars on tv. >> you've got no time to waste. >> go, o.j., go! >> reporter: and jokes in movies. >> oh, no. >> reporter: possessing such incredible charisma simpson seemed to transcend race, until he became a defendant. accused of the savage murders of his glamorous ex-wife, nicole, and her friend, ron goldman. the case had everything, celebrity, sex, sports and made-for-tv drama. simpson's attempt to elude arrest in the white bronco split the screen with nbc's broadcast of the nba finals. for 16 months we watched every hearing.

>> absolutely 100% not guilty. >> reporter: witness and legal sleight of hand. >> if it doesn't fit, you must acquit. >> reporter: 150 million americans, 57% of the country, stopped to watch the verdict. >> orenthal james simpson not guilty of the crime of murder. >> reporter: reactions illustrating the nation's racial divide. >> in my heart, i can hardly talk about it. >> i think the jury made an excellent decision. we find no evidence. >> reporter: grayer and slower now, simpson still captivates. after a nine-year hiatus, his face everywhere today from sports to entertainment channels. now with at least one more episode to go. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. and we appreciate you spending part of your evening with us. that is nbc "nightly news" for this thursday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. communities watch in horror, as

the massive fire in mariposa right now at 6:00. kmau communities watching in horror. dry brush burning everything in its path. thanks for being with us, i am jessica aguirre. >> and i am raj mathai. every few hours, this fire changes direction. it is near yosemite. so far it is 10% contained. >> the historic town of coulterville has been evacuated.

nbc bay area thom jensen joins us. >> reporter: we don't know how many are homes. at least, eight of them. cal fire is taking this very serious. i talked to the chief and this is his number one priority. at least, 40% to 50% of the fires in the state. this is how bad it is for families. i have a text from a woman i talked to who lives right over there. she said all hell broke loose. my home is surrounded by flames. i am praying. today they got help from above. the attack from the air.